The Rest Is History podcast releases special series on Walt Disney

Podcast The Rest Is History has released a special four-part series exploring the life and legacy of Walt Disney.

The series includes interviews with Disney chief executive Bob Iger, who joins hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for two special videoed episodes.

Iger offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney creator’s influence as an animator and film producer, as well as the cultural significance and enduring impact of Disneyland.

Iger also gives Holland and Sandbrook a private tour of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, and of the Disneyland Park, which opened in 1955.

Sandbrook said: “Everybody knows the name Disney. It’s an organisation with an almost unparalleled grip on the world’s imagination – particularly of children, when your imagination is most formative.

“Walt Disney himself is one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century, and anyone who says ‘Disney is just for children’ completely misses its impact in shaping the imaginations and therefore the cultural and political choices – of hundreds of millions.”

Holland said: “Whenever we investigate a subject, we always want to do more – we’re frustrated we can’t carry on.

“With Walt Disney, we thought it only right to come to Disney – to Disneyland itself.

“Walt Disney, more than any other figure, embodies 20th-century American culture, and Disneyland is a remarkable creation – one of the most influential architectural works of the mid-20th century.”

The series will also see Iger reflect on his own 18-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company ahead of his planned departure in 2026.

Iger said: “There’s mutual respect here. I’ve loved the lessons that both of you have taught me, and you’ve done so with such a great degree of humour and entertainment.

“And I thank both of you for everything you’ve taught me and the experiences you’ve given me.”

Produced by Goalhanger, the twice-weekly show is presented by historians Holland and Sandbrook, and has covered a range of historical events from the rise of the Nazis to the French Revolution since it was launched in 2020.

The series on Disney is available to listeners now.